The Shadow
by Hidge
Summary: AU ending of 9x22 - "Do You Believe in Magic?" What would happen if April showed up on Alex's doorstep bruised and beaten? Japril, AK2 friendship, and Alex/Jackson friendship. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: No idea where this came from. I blame late night chats lol. And the fact that Jackson needs to smarten up.**

**I have no idea where the title came from either. I have been reading a lot of T.S. Eliot poetry recently so maybe that's it lol. This is a little different from what I usually do so I hope that you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's. If I did I'd be less terrified about the finale. **

* * *

Alex rummaged in his pocket for his keys as he approached his front door. He finally raised his head and was surprised to see a familiar red-head sitting on the porch swing. "Kepner?" He questioned in confusion.

"Hey Alex," she replied as she looked down at her lap. "I went to Jackson's but he wasn't home, he's probably with his girlfriend and it's probably for the best anyway that he wasn't there, and Meredith's is really far away, and I know that we're not overly close but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go and I really just don't wanna be alone right now, so I came here."

Alex furrowed his brow in confusion as he took a step closer to her. He was used to her ramblings but there was something different about this one. He could tell that she was crying but it wasn't her usual hysterical sobbing and she refused to look at him. He had never seen her like this before and he had a really bad feeling. "April," he spoke her first name softly. "What's going on?"

"Matthew and I had a fight," she whispered.

She finally raised her head to meet his gaze and the fact that her long hair was pinned back allowed him to see all of her face. He felt anger flare up inside of him as he observed her bruised eye and cheek, her split lip, and tear streaked face. He gently took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, let's go inside."

He unlocked the door and led her inside of Meredith's old home. He motioned for her to take a seat on the couch while he walked into the kitchen and grabbed some ice from the refrigerator.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded once he had taken a seat beside her and handed her the ice.

"Things got a little out of hand," she muttered. She placed the icepack against her cheek and winced, "Ow."

"I would say things got a little out of hand," Alex joked darkly. "He hit you, didn't he?"

"Don't do this Alex," she started to argue as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. "He's not that guy. He loves me. It was a mistake."

Alex rolled his eyes. He had seen this before, with his own mother. He had heard the excuses and the affirmations, and he was not going to allow one of his friends to fall into that horrible cycle. "Right, he's not that guy until he does it again, and he will do it again, April. Trust me." He extended his hand and began to comfortingly rub her back. He wanted to tell her that she needed to press charges but he knew that she was too tired and overwhelmed to have that conversation right now. "You're staying here tonight," he told her firmly. The paramedic would never think about coming here to find her. "You can have my bed."

"Thank you Alex," she whispered tearfully. She had known that, despite their rocky relationship, he wouldn't turn her away. Alex Karev had a big heart underneath his armour of sarcasm and crude humour. "I just really didn't want to be alone," she reiterated.

"I get it," he grumbled. "You should get some sleep. I'll be down here if you need me."

April nodded as she handed the icepack back to him. She walked up the stairs and used the bathroom before heading to the master bedroom. She collapsed on top of the bed and curled up in the fetal position. She pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans and laid it next to her on the bed before she cried herself to sleep.

Meanwhile, Alex paced his living room in a rage. It took all of his willpower not to leave the house and kick that paramedic's ass. He had never thought that April Kepner of all people would get herself into this situation. She was too innocent, or whatever. She was too optimistic and hopeful to have something like this ruin her view of the world.

Alex sighed before he sat down again. It was really late but he knew what he needed to do. If he was feeling this way then he couldn't even imagine the reaction of the one person at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital that cared about April the most. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled Avery's number. The first three times there was no answer but he finally picked up on the fourth attempt.

"_What do you want Karev? I'm kinda in the middle of something."_

His friend sounded angry but Alex knew that the plastics fellow would beat him senseless if he didn't tell him this. He would want to be in the loop. "Dude, you need to get over here right now."

"_Why?"_

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just come over."

"_Karev, its 1 AM," _he pointed out in annoyance.

"Trust me; you want to know what's going on." And with that, he ended the call.

Fifteen minutes later, a perturbed and frustrated Avery walked through his front door.

"What the hell Karev? I was having sex and Stephanie's annoyed with me enough as it is! This better be good," he threatened.

"I figured you'd want to know."

"Know what?" He practically shouted. He was fed up with Karev's cryptic messages.

Alex tilted his head towards the staircase as he said, "Kepner's up in my bed."

Jackson's eyes narrowed and he growled menacingly. "Just what exactly are you trying to tell me, Karev?"

Avery's reaction to that statement proved to Alex that he had done the right thing by calling him. He loved her; he just refused to admit it. "It's not like _that_," he clarified. "It turns out that the paramedic isn't as perfect as we thought."

That statement certainly heightened Jackson's curiosity. "What do you mean?" He inquired while perfectly enunciating each word.

"He hit her, man," Alex finally revealed. He could see the flash of anger in Avery's eyes as his body went rigid.

"He did _what_?" Jackson asked in a dangerously low voice.

Alex explained further, "She said that they had a fight, I don't know about what, and he hit her."

Without another word, Jackson headed up the staircase and Alex let him walk away.

He walked to Alex's bedroom at the end of the hallway and paused in the doorway. April was lying on the bed with her back facing him. She looked so small. He removed his jacket before he climbed on the bed and spooned her from behind.

She had been asleep but she stirred when she felt someone's touch. She rolled over onto her back and sleepily peered up at her unexpected visitor. "Jackson?" She croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"Karev called me." He had to stop himself from gasping when he got a good look at her face. All of the lights were off in the room but the blinds were open. The darkness didn't cast enough of a shadow over her face to hide her injuries. Her lovely pale skin was bruised and her bottom lip was swollen. He felt an unhealthy combination of emotions surge through him: love, hate, lust, more anger than he had ever felt in his life, and a fierce amount of protectiveness. What he was feeling now was a million times worse than what he had felt when he had repeatedly punched Karev for disrespecting her two years ago.

"I really wish he hadn't," she whispered. She couldn't handle the way that he was looking at her, with so much pity. She didn't like feeling this weak. She was supposed to be a soldier. And after Jackson had blown her off earlier in the evening, she had gotten the message. He didn't want to spend time with her anymore so why was he here? Yet somehow, she was very grateful for his presence and happy that he was lying next to her.

He raised his hand and tenderly ran his fingers over her beautiful face. "Why didn't _you_ call me?" He asked curiously.

She shrugged, "You had plans…with Stephanie. I didn't want to interrupt. I—"

"You should have," he stated passionately. "I would have dropped _anything _for this." He started to run his hand through her hair as he wrapped his other arm around her waist in order to pull her body closer to his. "Tell me what happened."

"We were arguing," she answered vaguely.

"About what?" He prompted.

"My virginity, or lack thereof," she answered in embarrassment. He had wanted to know who she had slept with and she had been unwilling to tell him. "And he just lost his temper for a second, it was nothing."

"This is not nothing," he argued through gritted teeth. He had known from the very beginning that Matthew Taylor had seemed too good to be true. Nobody was really that nice. "Don't make excuses for him. You deserve better than this." He kissed the top of her head as he murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" She asked as she pressed her unharmed cheek against the front of his shirt.

He didn't answer her but he knew exactly why he was apologizing. If he had never ended things with her…if he had never slept with Stephanie…if they had had just one completely honest conversation for once in their relationship then none of this would have happened. If they were still together then she never would have dated Matthew.

He felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket and he knew, without even checking, that it was Stephanie wondering where he was and what he was doing. He knew that she was probably furious with him but he couldn't leave April. He didn't want to. And Stephanie was right, she deserved to be treated better and he couldn't keep leading her on like this. Not when he felt the way that he did about April.

He glanced down and smiled as he saw that April had fallen asleep again. Her phone chimed with a new message but luckily it didn't wake her. He reached over her petite frame and picked her cell phone up off of the bed. That same feeling of inexplicable rage boiled inside of him again as he read the apologetic message from Matthew. He knew that he had to do something.

He started to slip off of the bed but her small hands grabbed his shirt. "Where are you going?" She asked pleadingly.

"I'll be back," he told her softly. He leaned down and gently stroked her chin with his thumb. "I promise."

She sat up on the bed as she watched him pull his jacket on. "Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He responded as he turned around to face her.

"Please don't do anything stupid. Just stay here."

He smiled wryly as he walked back towards the bed. He knew that it was destructive but he couldn't let this guy get away with it. He cupped her face with both hands before he captured her top lip in a passionate kiss. "I love you."

April's eyes widened in shock before a small smile graced her face. She had thought that he was on a completely different page but he felt the same way that she did. "Me too." She chuckled and shook her head as she realized what she just said. "I mean, I love you too."

He grinned at her little mistake. "I'll be back," he repeated before he kissed her again and then fled the room.

He galloped down over the stairs and Karev met him by the front door.

"Avery, don't do what you're about to do," he warned. "That guy is way bigger than you."

"Then I'll fight dirty," he replied coldly. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a dead man."

Alex groaned before he grabbed his jacket and followed Avery out the door. "I'm going with you to make sure you don't kill him or get yourself killed. There are better ways to show a chick you love her," he chirped as they neared Avery's car.

* * *

**A/N: From this point on, imagine what you will. This will remain a one shot. Please leave a review! :)**

**New chapter of WYLB should be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So what can I say? I'm really easy to pressure into sequels lol. Thanks for all of the reviews! The response to this story stunned me, and thanks to the Jackson and April fan page on Facebook for posting the link. That was super flattering. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

* * *

Jackson slammed his car door shut and strode purposefully towards the apartment building.

"You sure you wanna do this, Avery?" Alex asked as he trailed behind him.

"Yup," Jackson answered without a second thought. He found Matthew's name on the directory and headed towards the elevator. At the moment his anger was so all-consuming that he couldn't even think about doing anything else. He needed to get this out of his system. He needed there to be some kind of justice. He could sense Karev's anxiety as the other man stood next to him in the elevator. "You don't have to be here."

Alex turned to the plastics fellow and arched an eyebrow. "Yeah I do, man. It's just that I've done this before and it doesn't end well."

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open. Jackson quickly found the door that he was looking for, apartment 312, and knocked angrily. He impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the door to open and once it did, he wasted no time before throwing the first punch.

Matthew Taylor, who was wearing just his boxers and t-shirt, fell to the floor while Jackson forced himself inside of the apartment.

Matthew scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could and created some space between him and the furious surgeon. "What the hell?" He yelled as he gingerly touched his face. "What was that for?"

"I'll let you have one guess," Jackson growled.

Matthew hung his head in shame as he immediately deduced why a man that he barely knew wanted to kick his ass. "It was an accident. It was a mistake. I didn't mean to. I would never—"

"You would never what?" Jackson interrupted him. "Hurt her? You already did that."

"I don't usually drink," Matthew started to explain quietly. "But I drank tonight, before she came over, and I don't even know how it happened…we just started to argue and then she walked away, and I grabbed her." He was still trying to piece it all together, it was such a blur, and he wasn't sure if he could trust his memory. "She told me to let her go, so I did, and I think I pushed her…and she fell and hit her face on the coffee table." He took a deep, shuddering breath before he added, "I really didn't mean to hurt her."

After a moment, Alex spoke up from his position near the door. "So, you didn't hit her but you still pushed her."

Matthew nodded, disgusted with himself. "Yeah," he admitted. "How is she?"

Jackson ignored his question as he pointed his finger at him. "I should kill you, and I really want to right now."

"I would deserve it," he stated as he sadly looked at Avery. "I feel terrible and I just want to apologize to her, to tell her how sorry I am. I really love her."

The sincerity etched on his face and evident in his voice made Jackson even crosser. "Then you shouldn't have laid a hand on her!" He lunged forward but Karev held him back.

Who would have thought that Alex Karev would be the cool-headed, voice of reason?

While the two friends engaged in a small scuffle of their own, another piece of the puzzle fell into place for Matthew. "You're the guy," he muttered quietly to himself. Jackson Avery had taken April's virginity. "And you love her too."

Jackson finally removed himself from Karev's grasp and faced the paramedic. "Yeah, I do," he answered truthfully. "And I don't want to see your face ever again."

"Come on, dude, let's go," Alex suggested.

Jackson turned his back and had convinced himself that he was ready to leave when Matthew started to speak again.

"I don't know much about what happened between you two, but according to how reserved and closed off she is with me, it's pretty obvious that you've hurt her much worse than I have."

Jackson clenched his fist and athletically whirled around. That accusation sent him flying over the edge. He hit Matthew hard, causing him to lose his footing and fall back against the couch. Jackson couldn't help but observe the scene with a satisfied grin.

"Now we can go," he said as he spun back around to face Karev.

The two men left the apartment and headed back towards Jackson's car. All the while, Jackson stretched and extended his hand and it didn't escape Alex's notice.

"Are you going to be able to operate tomorrow?" He inquired.

"It'll be worth it," he replied as he opened his car door and slid inside. "And I can always get Torres to give me a shot."

Jackson pulled out of the parking lot and eased his car back onto the main road. They travelled in silence until the peds doctor spoke again.

"I've never seen you like that before, not even that time you kicked my ass," he finished with a laugh.

Jackson chuckled as well. "Yeah, well, this was way worse, and the way that I feel about April is a lot different now." His left hand tightened around the steering wheel as another wave of anger swept over him. "I could have torn him limb from limb."

Alex nodded in understanding. "I would have felt the same way if it had been…"

He trailed off but Jackson smiled knowingly. "If it had been Wilson?"

Alex reluctantly nodded and mumbled, "Yeah."

"You should probably do something about that," Jackson jabbed as he pulled into Karev's driveway.

Alex huffed as he got out of the car. "Yeah, cuz you're real qualified to give relationship advice," he retorted sarcastically.

Jackson laughed as they walked into the house together. His mood became much more solemn as he gazed up the staircase.

Alex watched his friend carefully before he offered, "Go up there with her. I'll crash on the couch."

"Thanks Karev," Jackson responded thankfully. He clapped him on the shoulder before he slowly walked up the stairs. He walked to the end of the hallway and shed his jacket.

He climbed back onto Karev's bed, and although he tried his best not to, his movements woke April. She rolled over onto her other side so that they lay facing each other and softly smiled up at him. Once again he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him. Ever since Karev had told him what happened he had had an overwhelming compulsion to hold her.

"You're back," she whispered happily.

"Yeah," he nodded, "and don't worry, I'm not leaving again. Ever."

She continued to smile at him as she brought her hands up to rub her eyes. "Ow," she gasped as she came into contact with her tender cheek.

Jackson frowned and gently pulled her hand away from her face. He entwined their fingers and she caught sight of his slightly raw knuckles.

She carefully examined his hand before she spoke. "What happened?" She had a feeling that she knew exactly what had happened but she wanted him to tell her the truth. "You went to talk to Matthew, didn't you?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about," he answered dismissively. He was still mad, he could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but being with April calmed him.

And he hoped that that jerk would have the decency to stay away from her from now on.

April wasn't satisfied with his answer so she persisted. "I hope you didn't hurt him, Jackson. Please tell me you didn't."

Jackson couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "What if I did? Why would it matter?" He should have done a lot worse than what he did do. Matthew Taylor had gotten off easy, probably because Karev had held him back.

"Because it would," she argued tearfully. She didn't want to see Matthew hurt, and she wasn't sure what that said about her. She didn't want to be that woman, the kind that blamed herself for getting smacked around by her boyfriend. She knew that it wasn't her fault, but it wasn't entirely his fault either. It had been an accident.

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and sighed. The last thing that he had wanted to do was make her cry. "I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't get upset, please." He hated to see her cry, it physically pained him.

It was her turn to apologize. "I'm sorry for being like this." She hated seeming so emotional; she knew that it was such a turn off. She pressed her face against the pillow as she shied away from his gaze.

"Don't apologize," he murmured as he cupped her jaw with his hand and ran his thumb along her chin.

"I just…I didn't want you to get hurt," she revealed as she ran her hand along his muscled forearm.

Jackson smiled as he leaned down and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. It felt great to know that she really cared. "I'm fine," he grinned. "Not a scratch." He pointed to his face and smiled, "See."

"And, uh, how's Matthew?" She inquired nervously.

"April," he sighed, "go to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"No, please," she whispered as she placed a hand on his chest. "Tell me now."

Jackson inwardly groaned; he wasn't able to deny her anything when she looked at him like that. "I got a few good shots in," he finally admitted. "He got off easy." His fingers played along her neck before he cupped her cheek again. He had almost forgotten how much he loved looking at her. When they had been together, he had spent hours looking at her after she had fallen asleep. But looking at her only made him want to do one thing so he had made a conscious effort not to look at her for too long over the past few months. "Can I kiss you again?" He asked huskily.

April ran her hand up his chest until her fingers tangled in the collar of his shirt. "We've never been able to just kiss," she pointed out.

A laugh escaped him. "That's true."

"And you have a girlfriend," she stated sadly before he could say anything else.

"We're not…we're not serious," he reminded her. He wasn't serious about Stephanie. He didn't see a future with her, not like the one he saw with April, although he had a feeling that his actions at Joe's had given Stephanie the exact opposite impression. He hadn't been thinking clearly; he had just wanted to protect his own heart.

"Does she know that?" She asked perceptively. Jackson opened his mouth but no words came out. She sighed as she rolled over onto her back. She looked up at the ceiling as she bit down on her bottom lip, but that also hurt.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "I haven't exactly made the best decisions this year in terms of my personal life."

She turned her head and smiled ironically at him. "Me either." She found his hand and entwined their fingers. "We can figure it out in the morning."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! I'm not sure yet how long this will be but there will be more! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews people! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Definitely do not own Grey's.**

* * *

April awoke slowly and hummed pleasantly as she felt a warm hand beneath her shirt, rubbing circles into the skin of her back. The sensation was nice and comforting, and once she remembered who it was that was doing it, her mood brightened even further. Jackson was holding her in his arms.

"How long have you been up?" She asked in a mumble.

He grinned to himself as she entwined her cold, bare feet with his. "Not long." He had probably woken up fifteen minutes ago and had been content to watch her sleep. She deserved the rest and she had looked peaceful.

They were in the same position that they had fallen asleep in. They were facing each other, April was pressed tightly to his chest with her head tucked underneath his chin, and they were still holding hands.

Jackson wondered why it had taken them so long to get here. This was perfect and completely natural.

She shifted backwards so that she could tilt her head back to look at him. "How's my face?" She asked nervously.

"You look beautiful," he replied seriously.

April blushed and buried her face in his shirt. "You don't have to suck up to me," she joked. She couldn't recall if Jackson had ever said those words to her before and it did unnatural things to her stomach and the rest of her body. It really wasn't fair for someone as pretty as him to say such sweet things.

"I'm not," he whispered huskily. He cupped her jaw and gently manoeuvered her head so that he could press his lips to hers.

She had firmly decided on no kissing last night but she was powerless to stop him. She supposed that her defenses were down first thing in the morning, that and the fact that he was an unbelievable kisser. She moaned and tossed a leg over his hip as he smoothly moved his mouth over hers.

Jackson smiled against her lips and dropped his hand to her waist. He wasn't sure why it had taken them so long to get here either. He had wanted to do this for months and it felt _so_ good. April made him feel like a teenager again, in a good way.

April pulled away from him with a groan and rolled onto her back. "We really shouldn't," she told him regretfully.

"Right," he sighed. Although he was having a hard time coming up with reasons why.

She slowly sat up and ran both of her hands through her hair. "I should probably get back to my apartment and get ready for work."

"You're not going into work today," he stated. "Take the day off." She turned to look down at him with a raised eyebrow and he grinned cheekily. "I'm your boss, remember?" She chuckled as she smacked his chest. He was quick to grab her hand and entwine their fingers once again. "I'll take the day off with you," he said persuasively. "We can hang out at my place."

"Really?" She asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah, we can watch movies all day. I can make you something to eat."

She smiled softly, "That sounds nice."

He smiled brightly as he energetically jumped off of the bed. He and April hadn't spent a long block of time together outside of the hospital in far too long. "Great, let's go."

They left the bedroom and headed down the stairs. April stopped and placed her hand on Jackson's arm when she heard the clanging of dishes coming from the kitchen.

"Can you stay here?" She requested quietly. "I want to talk to Alex for a minute."

Jackson nodded and so she slowly padded into the kitchen. Alex glanced up at her as he poured himself a bowl of cereal and she smiled in greeting.

"Hey," he murmured.

"Hey," she replied as she stopped on the opposite side of the island counter. "I just wanted to say thank you…for everything."

In typical Alex fashion, he just shrugged. "Don't mention it."

She moved around the island until she was toe to toe with him and paused for a brief moment before giving him a hug. She pressed her cheek against his chest and whispered, "You're a good guy Alex Karev."

"Whatever," he muttered nonchalantly as he placed his hands on her lower back and somewhat returned her hug.

April laughed as she pulled away. For some reason, she was comforted by his predictable response. "Well, thanks again."

"No problem." He waited until she was almost out of the kitchen before he added, "If you need anything Kepner, then you can call, or drop by, anytime."

April smiled at him over her shoulder and continued on her way out of the house. Jackson opened the door to his car for her and they drove in silence to his apartment.

Jackson unlocked his front door and April tentatively stepped inside. This was her first time seeing his new place; when they were together all of their sleepovers had been done in on-call rooms. It wasn't too fancy, she could already tell that it was a little too much like a bachelor pad for her tastes, but it was nice.

"This is nice," she murmured quietly.

"Thanks," he smiled. He led her into the living room and ran around the room picking things up. There were discarded clothes, empty beer bottles, and cartons of Chinese food. "I'm really sorry about the mess. I've been busy with the hospital, ya know?" He was a little embarrassed because he knew that April was freakishly neat. When they had lived together their apartment had been immaculate.

She wrinkled up her nose a little before she forced out, "That's fine." She looked around the space in interest before she asked him a question. "Can I take a shower?"

Jackson halted his movements and slowly raised his head to look at her. She didn't miss the flash of arousal that passed over his face, in fact, it made her blush.

"Sure," he nodded. "The bathroom is down the hall, the second door on your left. Towels are in the linen closet. Do you need anything else?"

She chewed on her bottom lip before she responded to him. "A change of clothes would be nice."

He groaned to himself as he realized how thoughtless he had been. He should have offered to go to her place to grab some of her things. "Do you want me to go get you clothes? Or do you want something of mine?"

"Something of yours is fine," she answered awkwardly.

Something about their interaction was very tense and it was making her anxious. She hesitated to call it sexual tension but whatever it was it had not been present earlier this morning or last night. Maybe it was because they were completely alone now.

He started to walk down the hallway and she followed him. He stepped into his bedroom but she stopped in the doorway. She noticed that his bedroom was much cleaner than his living room. His bed was even made.

As he riffled through one of his drawers, she asked, "Did you mean it?"

He turned his head to look at her and furrowed his brow in confusion. "Did I mean what?"

"When you said that you love me," she clarified. "Did you mean it? Or was it just the situation?" She finished quietly.

He straightened his shoulders and stared at her seriously. "I meant it, and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to say it. I do love you." He walked up to her and gently took her hands. "Did you mean it? Or did you just say it because I said it? Because I'm your knight in shining armour?" He questioned with a smirk.

"I meant it too," she whispered shyly. "I've just been afraid to admit it to myself. It's scary."

He laughed as he agreed with her. "Yeah, it is."

"But like a good kind of scary," she grinned. "Kinda like a roller coaster. You can feel the butterflies in your stomach."

Jackson smiled down at her uncontrollably as he silently agreed with every word she said. She was right, and he had butterflies for a girl for the first time in his life. Eventually, he couldn't restrain himself anymore and he bent down to kiss her. She didn't push him away or tell him to stop, and for that he was grateful. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He placed his hands on her slender waist and when their kissed ended she rested her forehead against his chest.

He kissed her on the top of the head and basked in the comfortable silence before he spoke. "I'll get you something comfy," he told her considerately. He walked back to his dresser and pulled out his old Harvard sweater and a pair of gym shorts. "Have a good shower."

"Thank you," she smiled as she accepted the clothes from him. "I shouldn't be long."

"Take as long as you want."

April pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes and kissed him on the cheek before turning and walking to the bathroom.

She stripped out of her dirty clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on hot, she was sure that it was only a few degrees away from scalding, and let the water wash over her. She washed her body and hair with Jackson's shower products before she took a moment to let the hot water work into her muscles.

She took a much longer shower than usual but it was exactly what she needed.

She finally turned off the water and grabbed the towel hanging on the rack. She had forgotten to grab towels from the linen closet but she figured that Jackson wouldn't mind. She wiped the steam off of the mirror and stared at her reflection. Her face was even worse than she had imagined. The bruising on her cheek and around her eye was starting to change colour. She had hit that coffee table a lot harder than she had thought. She quickly decided that she was going to put ice on it when she went back downstairs.

She ran the towel over her long hair before she pulled on Jackson's clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. She halted halfway down the hallway when she heard raised voices.

"What's going on Jackson? You just left last night and didn't tell me why, and you didn't return my calls or my texts! And a really good kiss is not going to get you out of this one!"

April cringed as she recognized the voice of Stephanie Edwards.

"It's complicated," Jackson sighed. "And it's not my story to tell. Can we talk about this later?"

"Will you tell me the truth?" The anger and frustration in her voice was unmistakable.

"Yes, I promise."

April frowned as she heard the front door close again. She was thankful that he was respecting her privacy but she wished that he had told Stephanie more than that. He hadn't even mentioned that she was here. Jackson hadn't broken up with the intern, yet he had told her that he loved her.

She quickly returned to the bathroom and changed back into her clothes. She met Jackson in the living room and avoided his very confused gaze. "Can you take me back to my apartment, please?" She asked quietly. "I changed my mind; I want to go into work today."

"April, I don't—"

She raised her head and stared at him defiantly. "Fine, you can stay here but I'm leaving."

She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and sent Alex a quick text.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! :)**

**Things to expect from me soon: a goofy new one-shot, the last chapter of What You Left Behind, and a new installment of Our Happy Ending!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! Don't hate on the short chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

* * *

"Thanks Alex," April muttered in embarrassment as she reached towards the passenger door handle of his car. She was thankful that he remained true to his word. He had picked her up at Jackson's apartment and taken her to the hospital without any nosy questions or snide comments. She had decided on heading straight to work instead of stopping by her apartment. She didn't need to and she really didn't want to be alone.

She had never been more grateful to have Alex Karev in her life.

"No problem," he replied as he shifted his car into park. He hadn't asked a lot of questions when she had texted him asking to be picked up from Avery's apartment. He knew that she was going through a rough time, and she didn't need to be badgered. She had seemed very upset and had simply asked to go to the hospital and he had obliged. "So what's going on?" He asked tentatively. Avery had seemed just as upset as the red-head so he was very confused. The plastic surgeon hadn't fought for her to stay though; he had quietly let her go.

She turned to him and sighed, "It's complicated."

He simply nodded, he knew when not to probe, and he would probably talk to Avery sooner rather than later. "Okay, I'll be coming in in a few hours. Talk to you in a bit."

She smiled and thanked him again before she got out of the car. She walked through the main entrance and kept her head down as she headed towards the locker room. She changed into her scrubs and pulled her damp hair up into a ponytail before she grabbed her makeup bag and walked into the single occupant bathroom. She groaned before she tried to cover up some of her bruising with foundation.

After taking a deep breath and telling herself that she could do this, she left the locker room and headed towards the pit. Her makeup didn't cover up everything but at least she looked a little bit better. It was easy to see since her skin was so pale but she was going to try not to be self-conscious about it.

She approached the Chief with a bright smile. "Hey Chief Hunt, where do you need me?"

Owen spun around and fixed her with a confused stared. "Kepner? What are you doing here? Avery called in and said that you weren't feeling well."

"Well I feel much better now," she stated with a fake smile. She could tell that the older trauma surgeon was sizing up her face but she was grateful that he wasn't asking any questions.

"Well that's great! I really need you on storm prep."

"Awesome," she chirped perkily. "I'll get right to it."

She turned on her heel and set off to prepare the hospital for the influx of patients that the incoming storm was certainly going to bring. At least she had work to take her mind off of everything else. She wanted to clear her head of Matthew and Jackson, and relationships. In comparison to that, trauma surgery was easy.

* * *

Jackson's phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to glance at the screen.

_What's going on with you and Kepner?_

He replied to Karev's text: _I don't know but I'm going to try to find out._

The elevator doors opened and Jackson stormed towards the ER with a purpose. He wasn't sure what had sent April running from his apartment but he was determined to find out. It was as if she had emerged from the shower a different person. He had thought that they were in a good place, it was certainly the most open and honest they had been with each other since their relationship had taken a turn in San Francisco.

He desperately hoped that it didn't have anything to do with a certain intern, or worse, a paramedic.

He spotted Leah Murphy and strode towards her. He knew that she had been on April's service for the past week. "Murphy," he barked, "where is Dr. Kepner?"

"Uh, she's, uh, getting supplies from the basement…I think." She was startled by how visibly upset the usually composed plastic surgeon was.

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. He was not in the mood to receive such an uncertain answer.

Instead of riding the elevator again, he ran down the stairs to the tunnels. An eerie feeling came over him as he walked down the hallway. He hadn't been down here since just after the shooting. Back then it had been their refuge, now it just brought back unpleasant memories and a life that he barely recognized anymore.

He found one of the larger supply closets and peeked inside. No April. He pinched his nose to keep his frustration at bay as he continued down the hallway. He stopped at another supply closet and a small smile graced his face.

He slowly opened the door and noticed April jump at the sound. "It's just me," he called softly.

April turned around and held numerous packs of bandages tightly against her chest. "You scared me," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you. I don't know why you left," he explained.

She awkwardly looked down at her feet before she responded. "I just think that we should take some time apart until you figure out what you want." She placed all of the bandages on the wheeled cart in front of her before she grabbed some more blankets and suture kits.

He took a step towards her as he tilted his head in confusion and attempted to catch her gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Until you figure out if you want me or Stephanie," she sighed. He clearly had feelings for the intern, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And the relationship that he had with Stephanie was miles away from the complicated mess that they shared.

A look of hurt flitted across his face before he gently grasped her chin. He could still see the bruising on her face and it made him want to go back to Matthew Taylor's apartment for round two. "April, I love you," he breathed sincerely.

She smiled softly as she raised her hands and grasped the lapels of his favourite leather jacket. She did not doubt his feelings for her. She was just wondering if maybe he was letting his heart lead him in the wrong direction. "I know that you love me, but do you _want _me?"

"What's the difference?" Jackson questioned with a slight chuckle. Of course he wanted her; he wouldn't have told her that he loved her otherwise. He had been in self-denial about wanting her for months.

He leaned in for a kiss but she tilted her head away from him. "There is a big difference, Jackson," she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Then tell me what it is," he begged desperately. "You kinda gotta help me out here."

She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about exactly what she wanted to say to him. "You know that I'm a wreck," she began slowly. He opened his mouth to speak but she delicately placed her fingers on his mouth. "Don't try to argue, I am, and we've tried this before and it was a disaster. You seem to have a good thing going with Stephanie. She's nice, she's smart, she's really pretty. Being with her is obviously a lot easier than being with me. I'm," she paused to take a deep breath. "I'm giving you an out; you can have a do over. We can pretend that last night never happened."

She grabbed another armful of supplies and placed them on the cart in front of her. Jackson stepped aside and she pushed the cart out of the closet without another word.

Jackson simply stared at her in shock as she walked away. She had left him speechless and confused for a second time today and it wasn't even noon yet.

* * *

**A/N: I kind of want to do the flip side of what I think April and Jackson's relationship will be when we return in Season 10. I want her to be the one thinking of his best interest.**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I hope that you enjoy the update! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

* * *

April returned to the emergency room and diligently started to pack away the extra supplies that she had retrieved from the basement. Walking away from Jackson like that had been painful, but she was serious about giving him some time to think. She didn't want to get involved with him again until she knew for sure that they were in the same place, that they wanted the same things, that everything that had gone wrong the last time could be overcome. She needed him to be one hundred percent sure about her; she wasn't willing to put her heart on the line again for anything less. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to lose him again, but she could move on if she knew that he was happy and content with someone else, someone like Stephanie, who clearly adored him.

A familiar voice called her name and she forced herself to turn around. "M-Matthew? What are you doing here?" It had obviously started to rain outside because he was soaking wet. Her attention was also immediately drawn to the bruises on his face.

"My rig is stuck in the river that used to be Pike Street, so I came here to help out and talk to you," he explained. "Can we talk?"

She thought for a moment before she nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. She gestured behind her and turned to walk down an empty hallway.

Once they were alone, she spun around to face him and he could tell that she was uneasy. She had yet to make eye contact with him and her eyes shifted from side to side quickly. "You're not afraid of me, are you?" He asked sadly.

"No," she breathed as she looked up at him. "I'm not afraid of you. It was an accident."

He took a step towards her and waited for her to make the next move. When she finally did, he closed the distance even further and tenderly placed his hand on her face. "I'm so sorry." He hated seeing her battered and bruised and knowing that he was responsible. It made him feel like a criminal. He had been raised to treat women with love and respect, and he loved the woman standing in front of him more than he even thought possible. "I'm not that guy. I-I don't even know what else to say. I am never drinking again," he told her firmly. "I don't ever want to fight with you again."

"I know that you're not that guy," she whispered. "And I'm sorry too."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "For what? What are you apologizing for?" The fact that she felt that she had anything to apologize for just proved how amazing she was.

She gestured towards his face. "I know that Jackson gave you your own black eye."

"Yeah," he nodded. "He did. And speaking of him—"

Her loud sigh interrupted him. "Yes, he's the man that I gave my virginity to." She didn't use the word 'gave' lightly. She had finally come to terms with the fact that she had given it to him; he hadn't taken it, not in the slightest. She had wanted to give it to him and when she thought about, when she really sat down and thought about it and forgot about Jesus, she didn't regret it at all.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" He asked in confusion. "I just wanted to talk about it. I didn't want you lying to me again."

The comment about lying made her wince. He was right, but it still hurt. "Well, first of all, you had been drinking and you were furious," she answered as she stepped out of his grasp.

"I know," he exhaled. "I love you, I'm so sorry, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you'll let me."

And that comment made her squeeze her eyes shut in frustration and regret. She hadn't known that he was so serious about her and she hated that he was bringing it up now. She still thought that Matthew was a good guy, but he wasn't the guy that she had first met. He was no longer the guy that she had dreamed about as a little girl.

"And I also didn't tell you because it wasn't just sex…between Jackson and I…it was more than sex."

"You're in love with him," he stated perceptively.

She nodded as tears welled up in her eyes. "I am. I am so in love with him."

Matthew stared at her, thinking that this was an appropriate punishment from God for hurting her, when a voice down the hall interrupted them.

"Is there a problem here?"

Matthew turned to look at Alex Karev and he promptly shook his head. "No, everything is fine. I was just leaving." He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to April's in a quick, farewell kiss. "Goodbye April," he murmured before he walked away.

Alex watched the paramedic turn the corner to head back towards the pit before he cautiously approached April. "What was that about? Do I need to kick his ass?"

Ultimately, Matthew Taylor was lucky that he had stumbled upon them instead of Avery.

"No," she laughed softly. "We were saying goodbye."

"Well that's a good thing, right?" He watched her carefully as she nodded and sat on the edge of a nearby gurney that was pushed against the wall. "Right?" He repeated as he sat down next to her.

"Yeah, it's a good thing," she whispered. "I just hate this."

"Hate what?" He probed gently.

She turned to him and laughed without humor. "Being in love."

"Ah," he murmured. He knew that she was now talking about Avery, not the paramedic. Alex surprisingly understood what she was going through. "Yeah, it sucks."

She rested her head on his shoulder and cried softly. He simply slung his arm around her shoulders and let her cry. No muss, no fuss. He wasn't going to make a big deal about it and he knew that this was one of the few instances where she wasn't going to make a big deal either. His friendship with Kepner was different from his friendships with Meredith and Cristina but it seemed like they had finally found their groove.

He was finally willing to admit that she was alright.

Eventually he offered a few words. "Whatever you and Avery are fighting over, or whatever, just stop, kiss and make up. It'll be better for everyone," he jabbed good-naturedly. "Go back to when you were all happy and screwing everywhere."

She laughed and sat up straight so that she could brush the tears from her eyes. "Thanks Alex," she responded sarcastically.

"My advice is always pretty solid," he stated seriously.

His facial expression remained neutral until he finally let a broad grin take over his face. He started to laugh and so did she.

When she stopped laughing, she took a deep breath and hopped off of the gurney. Her natural reaction was to thank him but she knew that she didn't need to. Instead she tried to offer him some advice of her own. "Whoever it is that you're in love with is one lucky girl," she smiled. "Just tell her."

He smiled softly, "Oddly enough Kepner, I'm not as brave as you."

* * *

Jackson changed into his scrubs and talked to Webber about some maintenance issues before he bravely walked to pediatrics. He knew that Stephanie was on Robbins' service and it was time to talk to her. He spotted her inside of the NICU and gestured for her to join him outside.

She pulled off her pink gown before joining him on the other side of the glass. "What's up?" She asked with a smile.

"I promised that I would tell you the truth so here I am."

Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow in interest. "Okay," she answered slowly. "What's going on?"

He stared at her and spoke as frankly as he could. April had told him to figure out what he wanted and what he wanted was very clear. "I've been leading you on and I'm sorry," he confessed. "You were right, you deserve better. You deserve better than me. I'm completely unavailable and I knew that when we got involved." She seemed shocked and angry but she refused to say anything. "Say something," he encouraged. "Yell. Scream. Hit me. Do whatever you want, just do something," he begged.

"Everyone said that you guys were just fooling around," she finally muttered.

"What?" He questioned in slight confusion.

"When we first got involved," she explained as her voice started to break. "I knew better than to get involved with my attending but I did anyway because you're _you_. I couldn't stop myself from asking around a little about you, I figured that it wouldn't hurt, and everyone said that you and Dr. Kepner had been a thing, but that you guys had just been fooling around. They were all wrong, weren't they?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, they were," he whispered.

Stephanie turned so that she didn't have to face him and rested her back against the wall. "God, I feel so stupid," she said mostly to herself. "All this time I thought that the times that you were happy were because of me, and the times that you were angry were because of your mother or the hospital, or something else. But everything was about her." She placed her hand on her forehead and groaned. "And God! That week when I was on her service and we didn't have sex once. I am such an idiot!" She finished as she stomped her foot in aggravation.

Jackson watched her in pain. He hadn't envisioned their breakup going this badly. "You are not an idiot," he told her confidently. "And you do make me happy. It's not you, it's me, and I know that sounds stupid but it's true," he chuckled. "I'm a mess."

She looked up at him with a frown. "You're not a mess. You're just in love with someone else. You've been in love with someone else this whole time." She had seen these revelations coming and yet, at the same time they had completely blindsided her.

He opened his mouth to argue but he knew that whatever he said would be a lie.

"You're a jerk," she said after his silence lingered just a bit too long. "And you're a coward. You should have broken up with me a long time ago."

"I know," he groaned. He held his hands in front of his body apologetically. "I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes. She had heard a lot of apologies from him, she didn't need another one. "Whatever, just don't ever try to sleep with me again. Be with her or don't be with her, just stay away from me."

She walked back into the NICU without another word and Jackson ran his hand over his face in frustration. Everything that she had said was absolutely true; he just hated being _that_ guy. He hated being the bad guy, but he was a jerk and a coward, and he should have ended things with her a long time ago. He felt awful for hurting her but this experience proved one thing. He was never going to love anyone the way that he loved April Kepner.

He headed back down the hallway and pressed the button for the elevator. The doors slid open and he smiled at who was standing inside of it.

"Hey April."

"Hi Jackson," she responded timidly.

He stepped inside and pressed the button that would bring them down to the pit. The doors slid closed and he turned to her with a purpose. "So I've thought about it and we need to talk."

She opened her mouth to reply but in that moment, the elevator came to a grinding halt and all of the lights went out.

"What the hell?" Jackson called angrily.

* * *

**A/N: Not sure how I feel about the breakups but please leave me your thoughts!**

**The next chapter will be the last.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: SO sorry for the long wait! I hope that this final chapter lives up to your expectations. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**

* * *

"Goddammit!" Jackson yelled as he kicked the side of the elevator in frustration. "The guys in maintenance said that this wasn't supposed to happen! We're not supposed to lose power! This is bullshit!"

April cringed at the string of curse words that he yelled before she stepped towards him and gently placed both of her hands on his face. "Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay," she whispered soothingly. She knew that he was losing his cool for a variety of reasons. Ever since the shooting he had been afraid of being trapped in small spaces, it brought back bad memories. He was also mad because he was a leader in the hospital and things were not going according to plan. He clearly wasn't handling this malfunction well.

He instantly relaxed at her touch and forced himself to take a deep breath.

"Yeah, just breathe," she encouraged.

He pressed his head back against the elevator wall and began to consciously even out his breathing. He was really glad that April was here with him. He wouldn't have calmed down this easily by himself, or with anyone else.

April stood in front of Jackson and, with his arm wrapped loosely around her waist, she picked up the emergency telephone and calmly spoke to the security guard on the other line. "Hi, this is Dr. Kepner. Dr. Avery and I are stuck in one of the south elevators."

After a brief conversation, she hung up the phone and felt Jackson's fingers dig into her skin.

"What's going on?" He asked with an edge to his voice.

"We just have to hang tight," she whispered. "They're going to fix the problem as quickly as they can." He sighed heavily as she took his hand off of her waist so that she could entwine their fingers. She figured that physical contact would keep him calm. "Come on, let's sit down."

April rolled her eyes as a thought occurred to her. In retrospect, taking the elevator during a storm had been a really bad call on her part. But due to very obvious reasons, she had not been thinking clearly.

They sat down on the elevator floor with their joined hands between them. April rubbed her thumb into his hand in soothing circles, careful to avoid his bruised knuckles, as she stared straight ahead.

"I thought about what I want," he murmured after a long silence.

She turned towards him with a slightly startled expression. "Jackson, we don't have to talk about this now."

"Why not?" He smiled wryly. "We have nowhere else to go."

April offered him a weak smile before she unclasped their hands. She removed her lab coat; the small metal box was bound to get stuffy, before she maneuvered her body so that she was sitting directly in front of him. "Okay, we can talk," she whispered.

He opened his mouth to say something mundane, to begin the speech that he had practiced in his head with something that neither one of them wanted to hear. There was really only one thing that he wanted to say…there was only one thing that she needed him to say.

"I want you," he told her with a small smile. "Of course I want you. I wanted you before you even thought about wanting me."

The smile that she had been wearing disappeared and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that when we thought you were pregnant." He swallowed harshly and grimaced. He still found it hard to think about what could have been. "I was all in, no matter what," he explained. "I wanted that life with you, with the wedding in the field, and the kids, and the house with the big yard…and you were just so happy not to be stuck with me—"

"Yeah, because we weren't ready to have a child together!" She interrupted him. "I wasn't rejecting you, I was just happy to not raise a child in such a tumultuous situation!" She would have thought that he would have been happy about that too.

Jackson couldn't help but grin at her. Sometimes when she rambled she was just so cute. "I know," he replied as he placed a hand on her knee. "I know that now, but at the time I…I just felt…I knew that you didn't care about me the way that I care about you so I had to walk away," he finished with a sigh.

"Jackson," she whispered sadly. "I thought that you didn't care about _me _the way that I care about _you_."

Now it was his turn to be confused. "What?"

She looked down into her lap and took a deep, shuddering breath. "You slept with Stephanie and you…you moved on so quickly." That was why she had moved on with Matthew so quickly, she hadn't been able to bear pining for a man that hadn't even given her a second thought.

He nodded in understanding and he still remembered the broken expression on her face when he had told her that he was sleeping with the intern. He should have known then that what he was doing was a terrible mistake. "I was trying to forget about you," he revealed.

April chuckled softly before she bit down on her bottom lip. "Yeah, I know what that feels like."

He smiled as he reached his hand upwards to cup her cheek. "And you're totally right, being with Stephanie would be easy, but Averys have never really been good at easy." Or that's what his grandfather always said anyway. Averys didn't take the easy way out because they were bound for greatness, and it was finally time for him to step up. He knew that he had a tendency to run when things got difficult but he didn't want to do that anymore. "I don't want easy. Easy will never be great. I wanna be in a relationship where you fight and get frustrated with each other, it shows you care. I don't want easy," he repeated firmly. "_I want you_. Yes, you're complicated and complicated is scary, but it's also really good." He remembered her words from earlier about roller coasters and butterflies. "It's like the best roller coaster that you could ever go on. Why ride the Matterhorn your whole life when there's Space Mountain," he finished with a grin.

She didn't interrupt him or protest. She just stared at him with a bright, bashful smile. It was nice for him to be the one to talk in metaphors for once.

After a moment, his hand slipped down to the back of her neck and he pulled her forward. He kissed her soundly on the mouth and she responded to him instantly.

"I love you Jackson," she breathed as she crawled into his lap. And now she was sure that he really did want her. He was in all the way. Apparently he was just as crazy as she was.

"I love you too," he smiled against her mouth. "So much." He placed a series of quick kisses on her lips before he pulled her even closer and wrapped his arms around her small waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and he slipped a hand underneath the back of her scrub top so that he could touch her, skin on skin. He needed to make up for lost time because aside from the past two days, he hadn't touched her in months. "Now I'm glad I got stuck in an elevator."

April giggled and agreed, "Me too."

She sighed contentedly before placing a kiss on the side of his neck. "Did you break up with Stephanie?" She questioned in a whisper.

"Of course I did," he replied quickly. "That's why I was coming to find you."

She pulled and looked at him in concern. "How did she take it?"

Jackson smiled at April's question. Of course she would be worried about Stephanie's feelings. This was one of the many reasons why he loved her. Sure, she was smart, talented, and ridiculously beautiful. But he loved her because she was unbearably kind, and when he was with her, he wanted to be that kind too. She made him want to be a better person. He liked who he was when he was around her, and he had almost felt the opposite way around Stephanie. He had always felt like an Avery around her. Around April, he was just Jackson.

"She didn't take it well," he answered honestly. "She called me a jerk."

"You're not a jerk," she told him as she placed both of her hands on his face.

He shrugged and turned his gaze away from her. "I kinda am though. I was a jerk to her. I was a jerk to you."

"No, you weren't," she argued fiercely.

He really had been though. He hadn't respected her commitment to revirginize, he hadn't been honest with her, he had shoved another woman in her face, and he had called her a nut job just because he had been jealous of the stupid paramedic. He had acted like a jerk for the majority of the year.

"You've beaten up two different guys for me. If anything I was horrible to you," April continued. "I really wasn't fair to you and I'm sorry."

She had unknowingly stomped on his heart and disregarded his feelings, and she had blamed him for things that were not his fault. She had been cruel and self-centered without even realizing it. She just hadn't known that he had felt that way about her. It had seemed so improbable.

Jackson could tell that she was getting upset and there was no point in continuing this line of conversation. "It's okay," he whispered as he pulled her in for another kiss. "We can forget all about how stupid we were and just go from here."

April smiled happily before she kissed him again. That sounded great. "Okay." She deepened the kiss and roughly fisted his scrub top in her hands.

He moaned before he broke the kiss and pulled away from her. "Except without all the sex…for now anyway," he proposed. As much as he wanted to, he knew that it would be better for their relationship if they took things slowly.

"That might be a good idea," she nodded. Not because of Jesus, but because the physical aspect had sort of taken over their relationship the last time. It was important to have a healthy balance of things if they were going to make things work this time around. It would be difficult to keep her hands to herself but she knew that she could do it…for now anyway. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before she spoke. "We can still make out though, right?"

"Yeah, obviously," he laughed.

"Good," she giggled before she returned to kissing him.

The elevator jolted violently and they both instinctively looked up at the ceiling.

"Do you think the power is coming back on?" April asked rhetorically.

Jackson simply blinked before he slowly got to his feet, taking her with him. He gently placed her legs on the floor but kept her arms wrapped around him. The lights flickered before they slowly returned to full power.

"I kinda just wanna stay here," he admitted. He pressed her against the wall, laid his palms flat against the wall beside her head, and tenderly captured her bottom lip between his own.

She melted against him and flung her arms around his shoulders. She didn't want to leave the sanctuary of the elevator either, but they were going to have to emerge from the shadows eventually and return to the real world, a world where a black-eyed paramedic and a broken-hearted intern were wandering the hospital.

Unfortunately, the elevator whirred to life and began to descend.

It stopped again and the doors slid open as they normally did. Jackson turned his head to see Karev standing in the hallway with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

"I heard you guys were stuck in one of the elevators," the peds surgeon stated. "I figured it'd be good for you. Nice to see I was right."

April blushed and hid her face in the crook of Jackson's arm.

"You know what," Alex spoke again before either one of the lovebirds could say anything. "I think you need some more time alone." He reached inside the elevator and pressed the button to take them up to the roof. "There ya go. See ya later."

Jackson chuckled before he leaned in to kiss April again. He would have to thank Karev later.

April giggled as she returned his kisses. "We should probably go back to work soon though."

"A couple more rides first?" He bargained mischievously.

"Okay," she agreed easily.

The real world could wait for another few minutes.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review to let me know what you thought of this story!**

**Stay tuned for more projects from me. I should be updating What We Could Be soon! Thanks for reading :)**


End file.
